Andrew O. Mitchell

Andrew O. Mitchell, of Rotonda West, FL, passed away on January 6th after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was born to Arnold and Barbara (Bosilevas) Mitchell on May 8, 1947 in Greenwich, CT. He spent his youth in many places including California and Hawaii. He finally settled in Stamford, CT living with his grandmother, Katherine (Hribilijan) Bosilevas, and three uncles, James, John, and Joseph. All predeceased him.

"Andy" served in the U.S. Army as a machine gunner assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam during the height of the Tet Offensive. He survived that battle only to be shot four times a few weeks later. He spent his 21st birthday recovering in a hospital in Japan. He was Honorably Discharged and was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for his actions on the day he was wounded. He also earned the Purple Heart multiple times, but reluctantly accepted only one. In 1972, he wed Terry Lee (Yezzi) Mitchell. He was employed by Mercedes Benz of Greenwich, and awarded the STAR Award from corporate Mercedes Benz for his excellence as a technician/mechanic. After moving to Rotonda West, FL in 1976 he worked as a mechanic at the Mercedes Benz dealership in Sarasota. Soon he would open his own auto shop in Englewood specializing in Mercedes Benz.

Andy is survived by his wife, Terry, their four children, Andrew Jr., Ben, Catherine and Dani. He is also survived by their six grandchildren, Alyssa, Aryelle, Andrew III, Abella, Annabel and Hannah. A memorial mass with military honors will be held on Thursday, January 17th, at 10 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Grove City, Florida. Inurnment will be at a later date at Arlington National Cemetary.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Fisher House, c/o Rena Graves, P.O. Box 5005, Bay Pines, Florida 33744.

You may express your condolences to the family at, www.lemonbayfh.com